


Things That Go Bump

by jcatgrl



Series: Blood Moon 'Verse [1]
Category: Blood Moon - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Body Horror, Cats, F/F, Fantasy, Glunkus - Freeform, Monster Hunters, Monsters, Urban Fantasy, monster cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-10 06:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5574754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcatgrl/pseuds/jcatgrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sierra discovers, yet again, that not all paranormal creatures are quite so lovely as her girlfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Things That Go Bump

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maria tinymush](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=maria+tinymush).



> This fic is set in the universe of my urban fantasy project, [Blood Moon](http://adhdkirabraginsky.tumblr.com/tagged/blood-moon). The writing of the main story is slow going (all y'all other writers know how that is), but I'll be writing and posting other ficlets and drabbles in the meantime! If you want to know more about the Blood Moon universe, feel free to check out that link, or ask me questions at my [main](http://adhdkirabraginsky.tumblr.com/ask) or my [writing blog](http://queerlyworded.tumblr.com/ask).
> 
> Also, many thanks to Mandy [The-Feels-Assassin](http://the-feels-assassin.tumblr.com) for her fantastic work as a beta!

“So I was thinking, if we could just get those two alchemical concepts to link up in the right order, we'll be able to—what the ever-loving _hell_ is that _THING_?” Sierra’s ramblings about her project with Miguel came to an abrupt halt as she scrambled away from the animal that had appeared in the doorway.

Kalli looked up from where she was sitting at her girlfriend's feet, reading Star Wars fic on her phone and occasionally offering an “mmhm” or “cool” or “yeah”.

“Kitty!” Kalli exclaimed, and flopped over, arms outstretched and clicking her tongue to entice it towards her. The cat ignored her and went straight for the sun-soaked bay window across the room.

“That's a _cat_?” Sierra said, incredulous and a bit strangled. Her notebook lay abandoned on the floor, her pencil had flown off who knows where, and she was as back as far as she could go on the couch. She contemplated hiding behind it. Out of the room entirely would be better, but that would involve crossing in front of the window.

“Mmhm. What else would it be?” Kalli said.

What else indeed! Sierra watched in alarm as Kalli slunk over to the creature on all fours. From behind, one might mistake it for a cat, but the second it turned around, it was clearly anything but. It yawned as Kalli scratched it behind the ears. Sierra flinched. The shining fangs covering its entire face gaped open to reveal dozens more in a mouth much larger than the head that held it, continuing into its endless tunnel of a throat as well. It flopped over, pushing its head into Kalli's hand. A noise like a garbage disposal emanated from it.

“Kalli, I'm serious. It doesn't have any _eyes_.” That was truly the least of her problems with it, but the only one she could articulate at the moment. Cats didn't have eyes sometimes. That was a thing that happened. Fights or illnesses or birth defects. But cats didn't… No cat ever… Oh god.

“Well, of course not. Why would she? Oh!” Kalli gasped. “You've never seen a hellcat before!”

“Is that what that is?” Sierra said, sagging back into the couch. At least Kalli was acknowledging now that it—she, Kalli used she—wasn't a normal cat. “Appropriate name.”

“You don't have to worry,” Kalli said, picking up the cat and nuzzling her. “They're almost exactly like ordinary housecats. In fact, you might have interacted with one and just didn't know it; before you started using your Sight, you know.”

Kalli sat on the couch at the other end from Sierra. The cat was still making her garbage disposal noise. Apparently, she really liked Kalli. Sierra couldn't fault the hellcat's taste. She inched closer, keeping an eye on the many teeth just inches away from her girlfriend's hand.

“Abigail said that they had cats. Is this one of the ones she was talking about?”

“Yep. I believe this one is Jerry Maguire the third, but they call her Maggie for short.”

“Naturally, naturally.” Sierra nods. “What happened to the first two Jerry Maguires?”

It was inane, but chattering about silly stuff was the only thing keeping her from freaking out. Even now, knowing that what she could see was real, having dealt with monsters and beasts and beings that defy description, learning to push glamors back and make magic of all kinds… She just wasn't used to it. Six months was a very short time to try and undo sixteen years of being taught a very particular idea of what the difference between fantasy and reality was.

“The first Jerry Maguire was, of course, a fictional character, and the second was a perfectly mundane python which belonged to one of their former housemates who moved away a few months ago.”

“Nice. I love pythons.” They had big round eyes and cute little puppy-dog snouts. A very normal pet, all things considered.

Sierra was right next to Kalli. Maggie turned to look up at her—or at least, Sierra thought she did. Awfully hard to tell without any eyes. She averted her own anyway. Ordinary cats found prolonged eye contact aggressive, and she didn't want to give this one any reason to dislike her.

She was close enough to reach out. She let her hand dangle in front Maggie's face. The cat leaned up and sniffed at Sierra. She didn't seem to have a nose, either, but Sierra had seen the motion on enough cats to recognize it.

Evidently satisfied, Maggie flopped back down on Kalli's lap. Sierra, gently as she could, stroked from the top of the cat's head to her shoulders. She had expected Maggie to feel sticky or spiny, but the tortoiseshell’s fur was soft and warm. The garbage disposal noise got louder. It sounded almost… cute. She said as much to Kalli. Her girlfriend's eyes lit up.

“I actually know someone whose hellcat just had kittens, and if you want, we could—”

“ _Kalli_ ,” Sierra said warningly.

“Alright, alright. No hellkittens. Probably wouldn't be a good idea while we're both not even journeymen, anyway.” She hesitated, and with her free hand tapped her fingers together in an absentminded pattern. “I'm glad you like Maggie, though. That you're not so freaked out by her now.”

Sierra looked up at Kalli. Kalli continued staring at Maggie's back. She knew that Kalli had been nervous when Sierra first saw her true form, free of glamors. Kalli had worried that Sierra would think of her differently, unable to accept her inhumanity. Was every encounter with a new being or beast still a new worry for her, a new chance that her girlfriend might find it too much, reject the whole paranormal world, and Kalli along with it?

“I do like her,” Sierra said. “I like her a lot. She's adorable, affectionate, and she likes me too.”

She scooted even closer to Kalli, and with the lightest of touches, rested her fingers on Kalli's cheek. Kalli turned to look at her.

“Glamor or no glamor, you're the girl I fell in love with. No number of ghoulies or ghosties or long-leggedy beasties is ever going to change that. I don't care how many things I see that freak me out or make me contemplate hiding under my bed and never leaving. You make every single terrible part of my life, magical or mundane, completely worth it.”

Kalli grinned, and leaned forward to capture a kiss, which they only pulled away from when Maggie protested with a gurgling screech. Kalli sighed.

“Well, that sounds like a 'feed me!', and I'm starting to feel hungry, too.” She stood, cradling Maggie to her chest with one arm, and holding the other out to Sierra. “Shall we go see what the kitchen has to offer, my dear?”

Sierra laughed and linked her arm through Kalli's.

“We absolutely shall, my darling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is taken from a traditional Scottish prayer, which, you will note, is also quoted in the story. Hellcats are based on [Glunkus](http://suprememeep.tumblr.com/post/135690259180/i-had-a-dream-last-night-that-neko-atsume-added-a). I wanted to come up with a more creative name for them, but alas, I could not figure out how to say "toothface" in Latin. Rated T just to be on the safe side, for descriptions of body horror, but I will probably truly earn that rating later, or even bump it up.


End file.
